At baseline (time = 0 h), patients with septic shock had 2.4-fold higher C-reactive protein concentrations (254 ± 121 mg/L) than non-septic patients (105 ± 84 mg/L; LMEM, z = 4.4, P < 0.001) and remained higher than non-septic patients for the first 48 h (LMEM, z = 5.6–3.9, P < 0.001–0.04) (Fig. 2a). Here, CRP is linked to septic shock.